MAY TRAINING STEVE

MAY 28

The ultimate coach says no training. Unloading at the park when the skies unload on me, to the basement I say. Arrive home and go to the basement only to find water coming from the ceiling. Rain stops water stops, nothing much I can do, might as well go ahead with trainer time. Get bike from car, flat tire! Finally get the message and call it a trying day not a training day.

MAY 27

Back in the park with Bill doing the VO2 TT intervals. Again it was great having a teammate there for encouragement. Plus we discovered that our speeds are compatible for the Team TT at the end of the month. Bill has more power, but I am narrow and aero.

MAY 26

In the park for 4x8 LT, but only time for 3x8. Was able to hook up with No Crit Bill. Since Bill had no power meter he used my pace as a guide. Having a rider behind really helped with the concentration necessary to keep the workout within the higher end of the operational parameters. Hopefully it was not too slow for him. A good feeling of fatigue afterword as I climbed the park hill on the way home.

MAY 24

Two hours on the TT bike out to Belle Plains and south Stafford. Good to have Bill, Ken, Ed, and Dre' along because I had no idea where I was. The revised TT position felt good. Especially the downwind, down hill run out with sustained 33+ mph. It was a nice reminder of how fraking fun riding a bike can be.

MAY 21

So I lied! Believing that I would just ride over to the park and spin for an hour or so I left the house and road up Laffayette. Legs felt like crap and I was breathing hard as I dodged the traffic crossing Blue Gray. Whew, into the park free of damage then up the hill. Hmm, legs feel better and actually almost good pushing up the hill. Maybe I'll warm up until Lansdowne and then come back and try a sprint. First sprint, not so bad, I'll try another. That's the way it went for seven sprints, then used the ride home to sprint up into town and then back to the house. Not a long workout but some intensity that felt good. A little rest over the next two days and back at it Sunday. Would someone mind posting their protocal for the sprints? I am not sure I did them to spec. But they were short intense efforts.

MAY 20

I am still playing with my TT saddle position, but it is close enough for training. After an hour and a half of yard mowing, I hit the park for tempo and TT efforts. I equated the yardwork to a tempo interval, so I only did one then hit the TT efforts. The first went well enough, but the second interval was pure crap. Between the still faulty shifting and the pain in my legs I was just frustrated. Luckily for me Not So Big Anymore Ben showed up. That kept me motivated to stay on the bike and re-adapt to the TT position. Ben confirmed that my back was still flat and the position at least looks aero. Today I am feeling the affects of two hard days in the saddle. I will forego the sprint intervals today for some spinning so that I can get back on Coach Bill's prescribed routine next week with the Team. Good seeing Jumping Jack Flash aka Twister at the end.

MAY 19

After basically taking the last week off (although it feels like two weeks) it was back to work. 2x10 tempo, followed by 4x8 LT. Yes it hurt like hell, but the good news was that I was able to keep each workout at the high end of LT. Even better, although I felt the fatigue in the legs all evening, it made me feel like an athlete again, albeit and old one. What bodes well for the TT's is that I seemed to hit a groove at the end of each interval. Looking forward to some racing, but again it will all depend on work and family schedule, which is usually chock full in the month of June.

MAY 13

Just wanted to say thanks to my team and Coach Bill. Nothing like being on a golf trip with other guys your age or younger to see the benefits of the cycling lifestyle. Two birdies and two pars in my first round in over a year! That's like collecting a couple of primes in a crit. Just don't ask where I finished.

MAY 12

On the advice of coach Bill I went for the 3x10 min LT workout. It was good being in the park instead of the basement. 15 min warm up, 2x 10 min tempo then the 3x10 LT the last interval definitely did not have the same power as the first two, but it was in the zone and completed. Following the bike work I did my lawn work. By the end of the day I felt the sweet fatigue only hard work brings. Now off to three days of golf.

MAY 11

The May training schedule is getting whacked by work, play and weather. So Monday was not a rest day, but not a real schedule day either. With only an hour to ride on the rollers (despite the late day sun no time to get outside) I road mid tempo for 30 minutes bookended by E. Not optimal training, but better than nothing. Today, hopefully, will find me in the park doing something. Fortunately there is time before the first TT.

MAY 8

I took Thursday off to drive to the Beach and celebrate my wedding anniversary, great meal at the Bluepoint Restaurant. Friday was back to work with a two hour ride. I rode at low tempo high E and felt really good. The best part was motor pacing without having to use a vehicle. The winds picked up from the south as I made the turn so I had a strong tail wind to push 26 mph 90 rpm, 225 watts for 45 minutes. Man did that feel good! Thanks to my Bikeworks Racing brothers for all the encouragement.

MAY 6

It is so much better to be outside, even in damp conditions. After the last two days I was worried about declining power and fitness, but the bookends went well (well at least the five I finished). After bookend five my stomach started gurgling and since I had no water nor teammates to wash me off (think Jan Uhlrich in the Tour) I went directly to the car and home. Apologies to Bill and Jack for the lack of conversation, but I had to GO! Anyway, back to the bookends. The jumps felt quicker and I was able to hold high LT or above throughout the two minutes. I believe this is a combination of strength/power gains and equipment adjustment. I am looking forward to training OUTSIDE and then the TT's. I have good sensations in the legs, but I have no expectations.

MAY 1-5

May I ask a question? When May I train? That is how the start to the month has been. Work weather and other obligations have kept me from being able to effectively train. Sunday and Monday I was able to get an hour each day on the rollers riding at high E low tempo. Tuesday's workout, unlike Bill's was a disappointment. The two x ten minutes at tempo felt like forever and I could only muster one LT interval before my legs started to cramp and I had to back off. That and another evening meeting that cut short training time leaves me in no man's land. The bike is packed in the car ready for another shot at outdoor training this afternoon. If the clouds and rain would only give us a break. At least the mushrooms growing under my saddle taste good and that makes me feel groovy!